Sometimes it feels like storm season is all year. Spring comes through with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. By the time the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, snowstorms are upon the north. Most recently the floods caused devastation for our friends in Louisiana. The welfare of your family during perilous storms should invariably be priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to be sure that your home and family remain unharmed. See our recommendations for preparing your home’s cooling and heating equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outdoor AC equipment should be positioned on a concrete pad and properly secured to avoid the system from going up in the air or washing away during a storm. If you are in a climate that generates hurricanes, it may be necessary to fasten your air conditioner with hurricane straps to protect the equipment from high winds. Ask your expert technician about fastening down your home’s AC during your Fall Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t really avoid the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can protect your heating and cooling equipment from it. Put in a high-quality surge protector where any sizable appliances, a furnace for example, are plugged into a standard wall outlet, to automatically turn off your heating system if there’s a jump in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your HVAC equipment that the power surge could damage. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and seek expert help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to find shelter first and foremost, but if there is time, turn off your heating and cooling system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before you turn your system back on after the storm, be sure to remove the tarp and remove any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
Once the storm is over, be sure the system is safe before starting up your heating and air conditioning system. To get started, verify there are no indications of damage and clean any debris from around the system. Try to examine and confirm there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 605-223-0307 for a system inspection if appears there has been any damage or flooding to the air conditioning. Once you’ve had the system inspected by a professional to ensure safe operation, turn the heating and cooling system back on immediately to help dry the home and limit mold from getting into your equipment or ductwork.
If there was any damage to your equipment, check out these tips on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Peitz Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your heating and air conditioning system in working order all year long.